1982 AIAW Championship Makes TV Debut on BTN Rutgers Day
May 07 | Women's Basketball
CHICAGO - The Big Ten Network will showcase great moments in Rutgers Athletics action on Saturday, May 9 beginning at 6 a.m. as part of its school days programming. The 24-hour schedule features classic games from football, men's and women's basketball as well as the debut of the 1982 AIAW Championship victory.
The coverage begins with a women's basketball overtime victory against then-No. 18/20 Iowa on Senior Day at the RAC.
At 8 p.m. ET, BTN will take you back in time as it debuts the 1982 AIAW Women's Basketball Championship between Rutgers and Texas. The Scarlet Knights vs. the Longhorns was the final AIAW championship game and has never before been broadcast on television. As part of an ongoing independent documentary project, Forgotten Champions, by Whoo-Rah Productions, a coaches film of the game was recently unearthed and paired with the Rutgers Student Radio audio – bringing to life this historic moment in women's basketball.
During the debut, several prominent figures from the women's basketball and Rutgers Athletics world will be among those live tweeting during the game using the hashtag #82RutgersAIAWChamps. The list is highlighted by 1982 Rutgers Head Coach Theresa Grentz (@TheresaGrentz12), 1982 AIAW Championship Game MVP Patty Coyle (@coachcoyle), current Rutgers Head Coach C. Vivian Stringer (@cvivianstringer), Rutgers Hall of Famer and US Women's National Team star Carli Lloyd (@carlilloyd), 1982 Captain and current UConn Women's Basketball assistant Chris Dailey (@cduconn) and BTN Women's Basketball Play-by-Play announcer Lisa Byington (@lisabyington). For a full list of confirmed participants, please see below.
For more on this game, watch BTN's B1G Video Recall hosted by Lisa Byington and featuring Grentz and Dailey as they view portions of the game and share their memories.
The game featured two of the sport's powers. Texas – led by legendary head coach Jody Conradt – was riding a 32-game win streak and was seen as the favorite. Rutgers – under the direction of head coach Theresa Grentz – sported a senior-laden team led by twins Patty and Mary Coyle, June Olkowski and Chris Dailey. In the only national championship game ever played at The Palestra in Philadelphia – the Scarlet Knights rode a second-half surge to defeat the Longhorns and capture Rutgers' only national championship in women's basketball.
All programming can also be streamed on your tablet or mobile device via the Fox Sports App.
Participants in the #82RutgersAIAWChamps Live Tweet Experience:
Theresa Grentz – 1982 Rutgers Head Coach (@theresagrentz12)
Patty Coyle – 1982 Rutgers Guard (@coachcoyle)
Mary Coyle Klinger – 1982 Rutgers Guard (@maryklinger)
Chris Dailey – 1982 Rutgers Forward and Captain, current UConn WBB Assistant Coach (@cduconn)
June Olkowski – 1982 Rutgers Forward and Captain, former Northwestern Women's Basketball Head Coach (@olkowski_june)
C. Vivian Stringer – Current Rutgers Head Coach (@cvivianstringer)
Carli Lloyd – Rutgers Hall of Fame and US Women's Soccer National Team Member (@carlilloyd)
Rutgers WBB Account (@rutgerswbb)
Texas WBB Account (@texaswbb)
Lisa Byington – BTN Women's Basketball Play-by-Play Announcer (@lisabyington)
Christy Winters-Scott – BTN Women's Basketball Analyst (@christywscott51)
Mel Greenberg – Hall of Fame Writer – Philadelphia Inquirer (@womhoopsguru)
Dick Weiss – Hall of Fame Writer – New York Daily News (@hoopsweiss)
Harry Perretta – Longtime Villanova WBB Head Coach (@VUCoachPerretta)
Nicole Auerbach – The Athletic (@nicoleauerbach)
Sue Maryott – BTN's Coordinating Producer – Women's Basketball (@smaryott)
Howard Megdal – Editor-in-Chief High Post Hoops (@howardmegdal)
Hoopfeed.com (@hoopfeed)
